I hate being a nurse
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I've been a nurse for a few years now < than 5. At first I loved it. I was so eager to learn still am. I told myself I will never become the task oriented nurse and here I am just trying to get the... Read More

Feb 7, '13

Kevin,

I like your attitude. I am a new grad nurse in the Baltimore area and I am so very disappointed in the healthcare system. I always was aware what was going on, but I went into this profession to help those that have to go through it and have no choice but to be there. I am so very upset that I can not be of help to most of my patients because I am drowning for reasons everyone else explained in this long thread. Doctors, nurses, patients and techs are stretched too thin and we are all horribly stressed and take it out on each other. The environment is not a healing environment, but its instead very toxic. And I barely have any time for my patients. I like teaching, I like listening, I like HELPING.

I am also interested in being involved in some kind of preventative efforts, OUTSIDE of the horrendous hospital setting. I am going to push through this first year to learn all that I can, even though I too cry before work and have severe anxiety related to it. But my mind is open and I am looking for a team of people on the same page as me, and who knows...if we all get together and start thinking and doing, we can probably start something new, something helpful, something that helps people and is not part of a money-hungry system. Look at all of these unhappy nurses! Lets unite and think outside of the box. I hope that things can change. They will have to, no? Message me, anyone, if you are in Bmore and are on the same page. Thanks!

Oct 8, '13

I loved being a nurse and the job didn't seem like a job to me because taking care of people is not a job. Its a gift. With that said, the bullying that goes on in the workplace in the 3 RN jobs that I had has made me sooo embarrassed that I was in nursing. Its probably me just being a misfit. I had my own way of doing things, I may have had more experience than some, who were "threatened by me" and less than others. the fact I was in the profession since I was 16 (now 29) and becoming a young nurse @ 19 never helped me. ( I use to lie about my age and say I was 24-it really didn't help me). I have decided to get out of the field completely because of the bullying that has led me to burnout and slightly embarrassed I was working in a field that pride themselves on taking care of people but get a thrill on putting down their co-workers and not taking them "under their wing". kinda makes me think a lot of nurses are hypocritical. (I hate feeling that way and I do apologize if I have offended anyone, I write this in hopes of feedback to change my mind)

Oct 11, '13

BURNOUT!

That's what you have experienced. And hospital floor nursing is structured in such a way that there is a lot of burn out. In all honesty, nursing doesn't have a high job satisfactory rate and it's known to be extremely stressful. It's the hours, its the nature of shift work, it's the culture of bedside nursing.

To me, it's all yuck.

Hospital floor nursing is not the end all, be all of nursing. Being a nurse doesn't mean you have to work on the floor of the hospital every other Christmas. Hell, who wants that? Don't switch to another specialty. In 5 years, you will be burned out, too. My advice?

GET OUT OF THE HOSPITAL. Sorry for the caps. I was being emphatic.

My sister-in-law hated the floor straight off the bat. Went into public health and works a 9 to 5. I hated the floor and found something where I wasn't a pill pushin, foley cath pulling dancing monkey. I am an RN supervisor for the American Red Cross, screening donors, supervising phlebotomists and doing the draws myself, and giving juice and cookies to the fainters. My mother burned out of floor nursing and became an NP. Now she owns her own clinic, partnering with a doctor and taking 50%. My BFF burned out of ICU nursing after 7 years, travel nursed for a year, and now works at an out patient surgery center filling out paper work and plugging IVs.

I gave this advice to an old veteran nurse who didn't know where to go with her career. Sit down with some pumpkin coffee, a fabric covered journal and figure out what you REALLY want. And then go for it. Just know that hospital floor nursing isn't the end-all-be-all of nursing. Leave the floor to the hungry new grads and do a job that satisfies you for what could possibly be the rest of your career.

Oct 11, '13

Hi Phatlipboardz. I am a nurse for 20 years but have been disabled x 7-10 years. I am having c-spine surgery very soon. I would like to continue in my nursing career, but need a new path. I was going to take a paramedic course just tobrush up on my skills. What does a nurse consultant do and does one get started. Are you able to financially support yourself and family?

Oct 11, '13

Hey you ladies sound young and just beginning your careers. Listen to me nothing is worth crying on your way to work. GET OUT!!! Don't walk, RUN!!! Go be happy.

Oct 11, '13

We all hate our jobs at some point but If you actually hate being a nurse this much I think it's time you look for another path. You won't be helpful to your aching sick patients and most importantly you're not happy.

We are here in this world for a mere quest to be happy the most time we can. Go on your quest and find something that makes you happy.

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses.com

May 2, '14

I feel the same way, I love the ER, I come home and watch trauma Life in the ER after work, I love the blood the guts the craziness but I HATE HATE HATE the tasking. Whenever I am in the regular 4-6 patient room assignments, I don't even have time to care about what the patient is telling me, all I am focusing on is what needs to go in the computer, what labwork I need to draw, if my patient is breathing or not next door, and whether they need 2 IVs or one, ISTATS ran, urine dipped, etc etc. They start telling me more and I have to not care and interrupt to ask the next question that is needed for their triage or else I will get behind. I feel like the only way to be happy at your job as an RN is to not give a crap and turn off your emotions completely which I am unable to do. I have never felt this burnout and never ever thought I would be the one to get burned out. All I ever wanted to be was a nurse and this is just depressing. I literally googled. "why do I hate being a nurse" and this feed popped up.

I agree that maybe when we start feeling this way, we need a new environment. At least we have this option. I guess we also need to just be our own cheerleaders and keep telling ourselves we are doing a good job even when others aren't and then appreciate those wonderful patients who do say thank-you and who do appreciate us. God help us all, and good luck to us all